A police official say san explosion took place late Tuesday near a popular restaurant in the Shiite neighborhood of Jisr Diyala in the southwest of the Iraqi capital.

A medical official at a nearby hospital confirmed the death toll on Wednesday. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information.

Insurgents have stepped up attacks in Iraq recently as the U.S. military prepares to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.